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Monday, February 8, 2016

Review: Save The Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble For Screenwriters To Get Into And Out Of

Save The Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble For Screenwriters To Get Into And Out Of

By Blake Snyder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon Blurb

Blake Snyder, author of Save the Cat!® and Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies, is back with the book countless readers and students have clamored for. Inspired by questions from his workshops, lectures, and emails, Blake listened and provides new tips, tactics, and techniques to solve your writing problems and create stories that resonate:

The 7 warning signs you might have a great idea or not

2 sure-fire templates for can t-miss loglines

The difference between structure and formula

The Transformation Machine that allows you to track your hero s growth step-by-step

The 5 questions to keep your story s spine straight

The 5-Point Finale to finish any story

The Save the Cat!® Greenlight Checklist that gets to the heart of every development issue

The right way to hear notes, deal with problematic producers, and dive into the rewrite with the right attitude

Why and when an agent will appear

How to discover the potential for greatness in any story

How to avoid panic, doubt, and self-recrimination... and what it takes to succeed and dare to achieve your dreams

Get ready to face trouble like a pro... and strike back!

The Good

Save The Cat! revolutionized the way writers looked at story. Now with STC! Strikes Back, authors and screenwriters alike have the opportunity to look deeper into story structure and the industry. This installment is my second favorite of the series and is a worthy heir to the STC! throne.

The writing advice is neither long-winded nor optional. Blake jumps right in with enthusiasm and skillful guidance making this one writing book you'll reread over and over. Not to mention keeping handy at your writing station.

The Bad

With Save The Cat! lessons, there never is anything bad. If you can't find anything to learn from this book, you're not trying hard enough.

Audio Version

The audio narration is performed by MacLeod Andrews, the same narrator who does Brandon Sanderson's, Steelheart series. His conversational tone is a perfect pairing with Blake Snyder's conversational writing, making this book pop. If you enjoy audiobooks AND writing instruction books, you're gonna love this one.

The Spin

Boiling down Save The Cat! Strikes Back is a no-brainer. If you're interested in doing your homework on writing, this is one of the essentials you're gonna need. But more than learning important skills, Blake's enthusiasm for writing is so contagious that this book is well workth your time and money.

Current Inspiration

Alias Soundtrack

Posted: 3/13/2016

Comments:As I've been building towards the climax of my religious thriller, I happened across the motorcycle/car chase scene. This scene has a very James Bond flavor and takes place in the city of Jerusalem.

What's the best background noise for such writing? The Alias Soundtrack!

It's got a funky techno beat mixed in with a tempo on steroids. It made writing this scene a blast and carried over the action as the story crossed over into Iraq.